The Bramblevale
The '''Bramblevale '''Kingdom is the most prominent and powerful state among those on the Aracostra Isles. The Bramblevale's northern border runs along the Aeonwill Republic. The two states are eternal rivals in just about every sense, though the Bramblevale has consistently extended its borders into the Republic since they first clashed hundreds of years ago. The Bramblevale is founded on ideals of justice, honor, law, and many elements of nationalism. Also part of the Bramblevale is the annexed Wyrmgrin Isle. History Creation The House Wars Before the formation of the Bramblevale, the southern side of the mainland was held by seven tribes, each presided over by a royal family of sorts -- bloodlines of leaders. Each of these tribes was and is referred to as a House. Those who hold the name of a House are the nobility of it by blood, those who serve or pledge allegiance to the House are members of it much like members of a clan or tribe. The clans existed independently and peacefully until roughly 160 SR, when the House Wars began. House Gallowhall of Lake Lusca prepared an army and began an assault on House Fyrol of Stonewake in 162 SR. Lord Ray Lochborne of House Lochborne, having taken a wife from House Fyrol, led an army to aid in the defense effort at Stonewake. The forces of House Gallowhall were quickly cut down or repelled by the twin forces of Houses Lochborne and Fyrol, though House Fyrol suffered equally great losses. The First House War ended the same year it began. In the battle at Stonewake, Ray's son, James Lochborne I, was struck down on the battlefield. When he returned home, Ray began a plot for revenge. Knowing the losses House Fyrol suffered, Ray struck up an alliance with House Darkbride, promising the Darkbride family any land gained so long as the Gallowhall family lost all their children. This began the Second House War in 163 SR, as the two Houses closed on the Gallowhall fortress at Highfog. Their forces quickly demolished, the nobility of House Gallowhall submitted. As the firstborn son of the bloodline fled to Palestalk, the Lochbornes slaughtered the remaining nobility of the Gallowhall bloodline while the Darkbride family established their control. The Second House War was complete. The Third House War began in 166 SR. House Darkbride, encouraged by their successes, surrounded Briarbridge, the one and only hold of House Vinepinch. What was unknown to House Darkbride, however, was the presence of House Windbone at Briarbridge for the same reason. The two attacking forces launched at each other, while House Vinepinch fortified its defenses. By the time the outside battle had finished, House Vinepinch was able to march an army out and pick apart the remainders of both armies. The First Elf War The decade of House Wars having broken down just about all but House Vinepinch and House Solostar, the other Houses were helpless as the kingdom of elves began sending raiding parties out of the Domain in 172 SR. Death seemed to brew across the entire half-continent as the elves lashed out at the human civilizations that had, for so long, destroyed the natural essence of the lands. As most of the towns and cities burned, House Vinepinch and House Solostar formed a shaky alliance with the purpose of forcing back the elves. Beginning at Lake Lusca, the twin armies of the two Houses won battle after battle against the elves, clearing the forest-folk out everywhere east of the Domain. Finally, the human armies turned their attention to the Elven Domain itself. The armies pushed inward, causing all other elven raiding forces to return in order to prevent the siege of the great elven city of Sylaisari. The siege proceeded nonetheless. Finally, a plan was hatched to send in the heirs to both Houses: Lawson Vinepinch I and Oliver Solostar II. Lawson and Oliver infiltrated the elven city, stealthily making their way up to the shimmering crystal castle of the elf king. Once inside, they slashed their way through guard after guard until they reached the throne room. Once there, they confronted King Alaya of the Elves. The King struck the deal that he would call back his armies and promise not to attack the lands beyond the forest again should either of them be able to best his champion in combat. Should the champion win twice, however, the human armies were to leave the Domain and never return. The champion was the elven Prince, Tayvara Springwisp. Oliver went first, and was quickly defeated by the Prince. Near fatally wounded, Oliver surrendered. Lawson stepped forward. The duel dragged on and on, the fighters equally matched. Finally, Lawson struck Tayvara down, sparing the elf within an inch of his life. The elves held their end of the bargain, and for showing that mercy, Tayvara gave Lawson his own magical sword: the Crownblade. Finally, Lawson further discussed with the King an alliance for his next plan. Lawson's Conquest The Crownblade in hand, Lawson seized control of House Vinepinch from his father and declared his intent to unite the Houses under his rule, whether they liked it or not. House Solostar, now under the rule of Oliver II, pledged allegiance to House Vinepinch immediately. Lawson took an army, with soldiers from both Houses and even some new elven allies, and rode eastward to Estermill. Utilizing the force-emitting properties of the Crownblade, he quickly broke House Darkbride's lines, allowing his army to sweep through and decimate the defending forces. House Darkbride swore fealty to House Vinepinch in 176 SR. Next, Lawson rode to Palestalk and confronted the remainder of House Gallowhall. The Lord there agreed to swear fealty should Lawson return control of Highfog to his House. Lawson made that agreement, returning the lake-bound town from House Darkbride and granting House Gallowhall their ancestral home once again. Lawson crossed the Beorn Mountains to reach Oslocrest. Welcomed in, Lord Ray Lochborne of House Lochborne made an agreement. Should Lawson be able to slay the monster of Lake Rusalka -- a dark spirit that controlled the water and drowned entire boats of fishermen -- House Lochborne would pledge fealty. Lawson took a boat out onto the Lake and found the spirit that same night. Appearing as a hag of sorts, it drowned and ripped apart four of his men before Lawson brought the Crownblade through it. Conventional weapons had never been able to hurt it, so it didn't even attempt to dodge before the Crownblade slew the hag in one stroke. Upon hearing the news, House Fyrol also swore fealty with the realization that they were entirely surrounded by those under Lawson's control in 178 SR. Lawson passed through the elven Domain once more to reach Sandguard. House Windbone also put forth a request to him. The city was under near constant attack by a lightning-spewing dragon named Zeisu who made his home atop a nearby peak. They asked Lawson to free them of Zeisu's terror, and for that they would pledge fealty. Lawson took six of his best men -- three of his soldiers, two elves, and Oliver of House Solostar. They climbed to the summit and confronted Zeisu in his cave. The battle was brutal, the dragon tearing both soldiers and one elf apart with his teeth, and nearly killing Oliver with a lightning strike. Lawson managed to dig his sword between two scales in the dragon's neck and used the force ability of the Crownblade to blast the scales away, opening a hole for his elven archer to put four arrows into Zeisu's throat. Clinging to life, Zeisu agreed to Lawson's offer -- the dragon's life would be spared, but if it ever attacked any human lands again, the mightiest warriors would return to finish the job. With that done, House Windbone swore fealty. Every House had declared Lord Lawson of House Vinepinch their ruler. Lawson proclaimed himself the King of the new Bramblevale Kingdom, establishing its capital where his throne already sat in Briarbridge. Lawson finished writing his declarations and completed the creation of the Kingdom in 182 SR. The Second Elf War Houses House Vinepinch House Vinepinch constitutes the royal family of the Bramblevale. Since the conception of the kingdom, the Vinepinch family bloodline has held the throne, albeit with some struggle. The other houses tend to make their grabs from time to time, though the closest any come to succeeding is marrying in. In truth, the closest the Vinepinch family has ever been to losing the throne was during the Dragon War, when Carlisle Windbone of House Windbone secured control of the entire military. Notable People: King Lawson I, King Giles II, King Taybold II, King Gellfrid I, Prince Terrick II, King Lysander III House Windbone The Windbone family controls the Rattlefang Dunes, from Oasis Town to their home in Sandguard. While the desert is by no means an ideal land to rule, the constant strife against bandits, the elements, the dwarves, and the Aeonwill Republic has forged incredibly resilient and respected warriors. Those who fight under the banner of House Windbone are thought to fight each with the fury and power of twenty men. For this reason, any who seek to become Thorns train under House Windbone. Notable People: Carlisle Windbone House Solostar The Solostar family rules both major southern port cities: Petaltop and Elmborrow, residing in the latter. They maintain trade with the Zolyni Kingdom across the ocean to the south and are one of the most prominent political Houses in Briarbridge. House Solostar is the closest and most trusted House to House Vinepinch, especially as they are the only ones to have never made an attempt at grabbing more power. For a long time, House Solostar prided itself on being among the most magically apt members of the Kingdom. When the ban came around, however, House Solostar quickly renounced all usage of the arcane. To this end, they've sought to erase almost all history of the Fizzriddle Brothers, once thought to be among the Bramblevale's -- and House Solostar's -- greatest heroes. Notable People: Oliver Solostar II, Alondarius Fizzriddle, Renwick Fizzriddle House Darkbride The Darkbride family controls Estermill and Southedge at the southern most lands of the Bramblevale, as well as Delport farther north. They rule all three from their home in Estermill. House Darkbride believes it better to control the criminal underworld rather than seek to break it and snuff it out wherever it can be seen. As a result, House Darkbride has deep connections to such folks. The Kingdom as a whole chooses to overlook this as House Darkbride produces spies and assassins that have proven able to maintain the Kingdom's grasp better than brute force alone ever could. Notable People: Vera Quickhilt House Gallowhall The Gallowhall family presides over Stonewake, Palestalk, and Highfog. Ruling from Highfog, the family directly controls the towns circling Lake Lusca. Control of Stonewake is delegated to the Fyrol Family, once a house in their own right, though now reduced to little more than local leadership. The Fyrol Family House Fyrol was once one of the most noble houses in the Bramblevale. They were among the first to accept the teachings of Gaire of Brathton, becoming powerful mages in their own right and passing that tradition down through their lineage. Following the Dragon War and the Arcane Pogrom, many arrived to torch the Mistbrand University. House Fyrol protested the ban and the destruction of the schools rather than renouncing magic like the majority of the houses. For this, members of House Gallowhall arrested most of the nobility of House Fyrol, save the those too young to learn magic, and publicly executed them. With no remaining members of the bloodline fit to rule, House Gallowhall claimed ownership of Stonewake. Notable People: Lord Jonathan Fyrol House Lochborne The Lochborne family are the nobility of Oslocrest, Yeoman's Gate and, now, Deadwater. They preside over Lake Rusalka and have done so since the days of the tribes. The family resides and rules from the city of Oslocrest, and they are one of the most prestigious and powerful families in all of the Bramblevale. Other Notable Groups The Goliath Clan Atop the wailing wall, a clan of Goliaths exist with a purpose. The entire group believes their race's purpose is to combat the dragons that make their home at the peaks of the mountain range. Preventing the terrifying creatures from wreaking havoc on the kingdom below became the one mission of the clan, and so they endlessly throw themselves at the dragons. Every kill comes with one hundred deaths. However, in recent years, a few goliaths have begun descending from the Wailing Wall in search of artifacts and knowledge that can help them bring down the dragons alone. They leave to adventure, but they never forget their purpose. The Panopticon Since the magic ban and Arcane Pogrom, a faction of witch-hunters and wizard-killers rose up across the Kingdom. The Panopticon, once just a large faction of mercenaries, began lending their service to the crown following the ban and, ever since, have been a force to be reckoned with. Given complete permissions for lethal force, captains of the Panopticon serve as judge, jury, and executioner regarding potential magic-users. Each squadron of the faction is an incredibly dangerous and belligerent unit that patrols the country side, taking and doing whatever they want with the threat of naming objectors as witches kept in their back pockets. The Elves Largely found in the massive, sprawling forest known as the Elven Domain, the elves are an entire race dedicated to preserving nature and holding true to their elegant and primordial ways and rituals. Until their forceful annexation into the Bramblevale Kingdom, they were incredibly hostile and typically downright lethal to any who dared enter their Domain. Now, they allow the passage of those who do not harm the natural state, albeit begrudgingly. Some elves have broken the status quo and left the Domain, choosing to live elsewhere in the large Kingdom. That being said, those who leave are never truly allowed to return, and half-elves are seen by the pure-blooded residents of the Domain as a disgrace and abomination. Category:Locations